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Independence: Can you put a price on it

Have you ever felt like your world was spinning out of control? One morning I got out of bed, and my world actually was. Spinning.

I couldn't drive my car for the next two months.

During the first few of weeks of this prolonged case of vertigo, I worked around the inconvenience by relying on friends and relatives who drove me to doctors and fetched our groceries. Before long, I became embarrassed at my lack of independence, and grew reluctant to keep asking for help as life all too slowly retuned to normal.

What I needed was a Village.

Fast forward to the day I saw an announcement that a Village was forming in Foggy Bottom West End. My first thought was "Sign Me Up!"

More than anything else, quite frankly, I wanted an insurance policy. If I was "paying" for it, if there was a whole stable of willing volunteers at the ready, I would never again need to feel guilty asking for help.

If you've ever beenin a similar position, or realized that one day you could be, you know that one huge thing FBWE Village offers is the promise of increased independence when you need it most.

No guilt, no worry, no begging. You simply call the office, and a volunteer shows up to drive you -- or do a myriad of other tasks that keeps you safely, happily, independently at home. The fact that I've made lasting friendships along the way is an added delight.

You just can't put a price on that.

This Independence Day I'm celebrating our Village and all that it offers to me, to you, and to our entire neighborhood. I hope you'll join me.